


Study Habits

by agendershiro



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pidge's mood: (magnifying glass emoji), almost college au?, idk how tf pre-kerberos worked so just roll with it?, indulging some in my headcanon that shiro likes motorcycles, japanese/brazilian shiro headcanon is the best, like the crotch rocket ones, pre-kerberos, they're both smitten with each other tbqh, they/them pronouns for Pidge, this gonna be full of lots of Matt/Shiro Fluff >:)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7632160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agendershiro/pseuds/agendershiro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pidge notices their brother's new habit of staying out late to "study" with someone and eventually deduces that this person is his boyfriend. What Pidge did not know at the time, and will find out later is that that person was Shiro. Following Matt and Shiros relationship from before kerberos to during the time line with the paladins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm neck deep in this ship and since no one else was writing stuff i've taken it upon myself. Enjoy! The Next chapter will be Matt and Shiro's relationship more from Matt's angle. Then will Shift into current time story line paladins and then to finding Matt so buckle your seatbelts.

“Where are you going on a sunday morning?” Pidge asked, standing on the other side of the kitchen. It was approximately 7:30 am.

“KATIE!” Their brother called out Pidge’s given name and the one they went by at the time in surprise. Matt scratched at his head. “Geez you don’t have to scare me like that.”

“I wasn’t trying to scare you, I just wanted to know where you were going. It’s a little early,” Pidge scoffed.

When the sun was bright, it would shine in through the large window in the Holt family home kitchen, but on that late winter day it was rather cloudy, making the room seem dim “And why don’t you have the lights on?” The grey hints of light made it possible to see, but it was still odd to not have the lights on. They leaned over to the nearest light switch and turned it on with a flick of their finger.

“I just didn’t want to wake you guys up,” Matt said, shrugging, as he shifted the backpack sitting on his shoulders. Pidge brushed some of their long hair out of the way, seemingly unconvinced.

“Right well, where should I tell mom and dad you’re going?” They asked rather blankly, crossing their arms. They did not really care, their brother was an adult. But surely one of their parents was going to ask and it would have been nice to have an answer. Matt sighed.

“Uh.. a friends. He needs some help studying.” Matt’s demeanor still seemed off, but it was a good enough answer for Pidge. So they shrugged absently and turned to go back down the hall and up the stairs to their room.

“Whatever man, have fun.” Was the rest of their response while they waved their hand.

He did not return until nearly 11pm that evening. Which was not really an issue. Again, Matt was an adult. They knew their brother could take care of himself. But Pidge was observant and somewhat intrigued when the rate of this kind of occurrence increased.

Matt was still going to university, already earning his first four year degree at 21 and was working on his masters at 23. It was more convenient to stay home than to move out. He had a part time job at the University and could spend his time studying and working towards his education than worrying about paying for the cost of living. Though he did help out with some expenses for this parents, and when he was needed at the military science research center with his father, he could just go with him.

In addition, Matt would go to school in the morning 4 days a week and would usually be home between 6 and 8pm, depending on if he worked But recently he started coming home later.  
‘He's a pretty busy guy.’ Pidge thought to themselves, ‘He doesn't have time for that. Why's he coming home so late?’ And Later. And Later. Then later. Then even later still. Especially on the weekends, he might not come home until after midnight. They decided one night to try to confront him out of pure curiosity.

“It’s one am.” Pidge sat the bottom of the stairs when their brother finally returned on a Friday evening. Matt had to restrain himself from letting out a shrill gasp of surprise as his sibling spoke from the dark stairwell.

“Katie what the hell! Go to bed.” He grumbled as he caught his breath.

“Been out, studying…” Pidge put a teasing emphasis on their words in an attempt to get a rouse out of Matt. The only time Pidge could remember Matt coming home so late constantly was when he had a girlfriend two years ago, which didn't last long. He was a cool guy, Pidge reasoned, but then again they thought he was cool because he was their brother. But evidently not every girl wants to date a spindly built nerd and hear about science and listen to bad jokes all day. They suspected perhaps he was dating someone new. Matt scoffed and rolled his eyes at his sister’s suggesting tone.

“I was down town. I am an adult, you know? I’m allowed to stay out.” And with that he brushed past Pidge and made his way up the stairs. Flustered, and defensive? Pidge smirked at his response.

“Hey, what’d you do today?” Pidge questioned Matt one day after they both had returned from school. He had come home earlier than he had been for the past few days, giving them a little more time to talk. Matt raised a brow.

“Uhh. Went to school? Worked. Hung out a little.” He was not quite sure why he was getting the same interrogation routine he had been getting when he stayed out late, now that he had come home early.

“Hung out? With who?” There was their teasing tone again. Pidge snickered and Matt frowned.

“Just my friend Katie, Same friend I’ve been hanging out with.” He tried to scoot past them only to have his sister block his way.

“I’m just kidding, no need to be so grumpy.” A silly smile spread across their face. “You ever gonna bring your friend over here though? What’s his name?” Matt exhaled sharply and ended up shoving past Pidge to get to the kitchen. He Plopped his backpack down on a kitchen and headed to the cabinets for a snack.

“What do you mean ‘what's his name?’ are you implying I have no friends that are girls, or that I only have one friend?” He said snidely, reaching into the cupboard for a box of crackers.

“Which one hurts less?”

“Thanks Pidge. You're so kind.” Matt’s answer was dripping with sarcasm. He grumbled, some cracker crumbs falling from his mouth as he stuffed them in.

“Aww come on.” Pidge pleaded, their eyes going wide as they tried to make something reminiscent of a puppy dog face.

“It's the same person I was helping to study. He's my friend.” Matt finally gave an answer. Pidge was not so content with that limited amount of information. They continued to pester.

“Okay but what's his name?” Matt admittedly refused to tell. Pidge was notorious for social media-stalking his friends and did not want to give them any details.

“At least give me something to call him.” Pidge’s eyes narrowed and Matt grumbled.

“Fine, we can call him Ty.”

“Ty? Why Ty.”

“It’s a name. Why does it matter. That’s what you asked for. Isn’t it?” Matt shoved the cracker box back into the cupboard and then made his way up stairs, Pidge in tow.

As weeks went on, and winter blended into spring, Pidge noticed Matt occasionally would bring up this Ty in conversation. He would offhandedly mention something he would like, like a t-shirt, bring up a place he thought it would be fun to hang out, or a movie he liked.

“Don't you have any other friends? What about that Karson kid?” Pidge flicked a pea across the dinner table at their brother one night when he had made dinner for the two of them because their parents were out. Matt had been going on about how he wanted to maybe try to cook Ty's favorite food. Something called Korokee, a Japanese dish.

“What? I’m not allowed to talk about one of my best friends?” Matt flicked the pea back. ‘Best friend, sure’ Pidge thought. “And besides, Karson is going to grad school in Utah.. it's not like I can really hang out with him much.” He responded with a hanging sadness in his tone.

Karson had been his best friend since he started College. Pidge knew their brother missed him, and so courteously dropped the subject with only a gentle hmm as a response. They chewed up some more of the peas and bland grilled chicken Matt had produced for dinner.

“You should probably get better at cooking first before you try to make your boyfriend's favorite food.” Pidge poked around their plate, scraping their fork across it. They looked over towards Matt out of the corner of their vision to see his brow buried in a deep v.

“He's just my friend Katie.” Matt set his fork down as if he was holding in frustration.

“Ya, okay.”

Matt did not talk about ‘Ty’ for a few days. In fact it was like a cycle. Matt would mention something about him throughout a span of days and then Pidge would pester him about Ty being his boyfriend again. Matt would get defensive and then cease speaking about him for a few days once more. And then casually he would come up in conversation cyclically.

Pidge was young, for sure. Only 12 at the time. But they knew when someone talked about someone they cared about. At first it was casual. The way Matt talked about his friend. But over time a deeper fondness was in his voice and was visible in his eyes. It was the way their cousin talked about her fiancé. The way the girl behind the counter at the ice cream shop in the walking district in town talked about her boyfriend. The way their mother or father talked fondly about each other when the other wasn’t in the room. Pidge took note of this subtle change.

Spring passed and summer came along and school ended for Pidge. Matt still took a class two days and week and worked in the science lab at the school. Other than being home to sleep, eat, or hang out with Pidge some, he was nearly always gone. With ‘Ty’, Pidge assumed.

Pidge respected their brother’s right to his own space, but they were used to hanging with him in the summer. Matt was older than them by 10 years but they loved their brother and looked up to him. In turn he did not often hesitate to muse his little sister. They would go to museums, Matt’s school sometimes, or the park. But since he was gone and Pidge and all their friends were too young to drive, or their parents were busy, or it was too hot and sticky to ride their bike downtown, they were alone. They did not mind it too much. It gave them lots of time to work on their own projects or play games on their computer, but they did get bored.

“Hey! Its Saturday! You’re taking me to the park today right!” Pidge knocked excitedly on Matt’s door at 8am. The day looked to he a good one. Dry, sunny, hardly a cloud in the sky and to top it all off, a light breeze blew through the air. Matthew opened his door with haste, a confused look on his face.

“Huh? What no. I told you that earlier in the week. We could Sunday. I made plans today.” He frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose. Pidge’s cheerful expression faded from her face. “Yeah.. he continued. I asked you to see if mom or dad could take you. Or one of your friends.”

“Wait, wait. What do you mean you made plans.” Matt sighed at Pidge’s question. They seemed a bit behind. “You said you would take me.. I..” Pidge could not help but feeling a bit hurt. The two argued for nearly another hour about whether Matt had told Pidge or not about the change of plans. Matt claimed he did, Pidge said otherwise. Eventually the bickering was broken up by their father who happened to have the day off.

They ate breakfast in silence. Pidge was still annoyed by the sudden change in plans. Matt was feeling a bit guilty for evidently not making it clear that he could not take them to the park today

“Where are you going anyways?” Pidge followed their brother out of the front door when he went to leave. “Are you going somewhere with Ty.” They wiggled their eyebrows and bumped at their brother’s shoulder.

Matt gave his usual response of a low hmph and grumble. Pidge was using that teasing tone again. The one that made him not want to talk about ‘Ty’ for days on end. Matt tried to ignore them and began walking down the stairs of the front porch, but as usual Pidge was persistent. “Come on! Where are ya going!”

“A car show.” He said stiffly without turning around.

“A car show?” There was genuine shock in Pidge’s voice. “What? You don’t know anything about cars except how to drive one and put gas in it.”

“I know how they work.” He argued and Pidge crossed their arms. “If I can work with space crafts I think I can manage a car.”

“That’s not what I mean.” They said mockingly. “You don’t know anything about car culture. Or old cars, or shiny cars or fancy cars.” Matt simply narrowed his gaze, once again attempting to ignore Pidge.

“Ty likes cars doesn’t he.” Pidge smirked and Matt continued to ignore them. “Whatever. I’m just trying to make conversation. You don’t have to be a grump! Have fun on your date.” They snickered before turning away and listened to Matt grunt in frustration.

“God, katie,” Matt rubbed his forehead with his palm. “Will you cut that out!” He raised his voice from the bottom of the stairs. Loud enough to convey his tone, quiet enough not to get their parents attention inside. He was nearly fuming.

“I don’t know what your big deal is. I’d do the same thing if you’d been hanging out with a girl! I wouldn’t care if you were going on a date with this guy anyway or if he is your boyfriend! You don’t have to get so sensitive about it. There’s nothing wrong it.” Pidge sighed. “I’m teasing you because you’re my brother, not because I’m trying to make fun of you.” Matt’s expression softened, and he let his shoulders fall for a moment before shaking his head.

“I’m gonna be late. I gotta go.” Matt turned around, his hair bouncing against the rigidness in his step. Pidge watched their brother go down the sidewalk, get into his car and drive off with a frown plastered to her face. They stood for a long while, thinking before their mother called them back inside.

While Pidge was disappointed at the time that Matt had ditched her and their tripped planned for the park, she had a good time with her father who took her instead. They took the trail in the woods and spent all afternoon studying plants and wildlife. Pidge left tired, but not too tired that they did not want to sit on one of their computers and play some games when they returned home and throughout the evening.

The lights in their room were off and their headphones were on their head so it startled them when sometime not long after midnight the light in their room turned on. Pidge first thought it was their mother coming to scold them for not yet being in bed, but they found Matt standing in their doorway instead. He moved inside the room and closed the door. Not enough to click it shut, but enough to block the light from escaping into the hall.

“Listen I’m sorry if I’m really bothering you, you know but you shouldn’t be so offended by my insinuating-” Pidge had turned around in their chair and started talking before being promptly interrupted.

“Motorcycles.” Matt spoke up. Pidge blinked and raised a brow.

“Huh?”

“He likes motorcycles. That’s why we went to the car show.” Matt looked down, using his left hand to rub at his right arm as if he was embarrassed. It Pidge a moment to register what their brother was saying, but once they realized they turned around, clicked a few buttons and shut off their computer screen.

“So he is your boyfriend! I was right! You're not a very good liar you know.”

“That's a pretty strong conclusion to come to just because I told you he likes motorcycles! and keep your voice down please.” Matt peaked into the hall before he clicked the door shut and furrowed his brow. Pidge just shook their head, trying to restrain laughter.

“You’re a terrible liar.” They explained. Matt forcefully shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and avoided making eye contact with his sister.

“Tell me about him!” Pidge pleaded, rolling their wheeled chair towards the bed. They tapped the surface of the blankets, inviting Matt to sit down, but he refused. “Ugh come on! I'm your sister! You can talk to me.” Matt sighed and found himself taking a step towards the bed, but he was still reluctant.

“Okay, let’s start with what’s he look like.” Pidge smiled, their legs folding in a criss cross fashion on their swiveling chair. That was an easy topic to start off with. It took a few more exchanges of Pidge’s pleading expression to Matt’s hesitant one before he began to talk.

“Well he's tall…” Matt started off with a generic description, unwilling to give many details. Pidge was ecstatic none the less.

“Tall how? You're not very tall you know. Is he taller than you, or just tall?” Pidge smirked playfully.

“He's just tall…” Matt trailed off for a moment. “And has dark hair.” Pidge tossed their arms in the air, dissatisfied.

“That's not a good description!” They complained.

“Good enough for you.” Matt was still obviously reserved in revealing much about his relationship or who it was with. Pidge was frustrated in a sense by their unquenched curiosity, but understood Matt’s hesitation. They sat in silence for a short time, Matt appeared to be thinking.

“Listen you just.. you can't tell anyone? Okay.”

“Of course not. It's not for me to tell.” Pidge nodded thoughtfully.

Matt ended up talking for nearly an hour. About how nice his boyfriend's hair was, and how he worked out, and how he was smart and funny and laughed at his bad jokes. About how they liked to go to beach, and to the coffee shop, and to the observatory. How they would watch movies at his apartment and take rides on his bike late at night when no one would be able to see them. How they would just sit and just enjoy each others company.

“Isn’t that what most friends are for?” Pidge flopped lazily into their bed next to Matt. He sighed.

“Well yeah, sure. Of Course.. but .. I dunno. It’s different.” That was the only explanation he could offer.

“Is he a good kisser.” Pidge broke into his rambling and snickered, still intent on bugging her older brother as any little sister would. Matt's face turned beat red. He was saved by a dinging from his pocket and he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He happened to notice the time. It was getting incredibly late.

“Come on, why don't you go to bed. I have to too.” He was clearly avoiding the question. Eventually he convinced them it was time to go to sleep, but only after promising more details later.

Pidge pried, and pried as weeks past. All they wanted to do was meet their brother’s boyfriend. But matt refused.

“In time, I promise.” Matt would assure. But all Pidge got were wishy-washy stories and descriptions of ‘Ty’. Matt still refused to tell Pidge his boyfriend’s real name.

“Tell you what,” Matt started one day as he was driving Pidge home from the library after they were done at school. “When we get back from Kerberos, I’ll let you meet him.” He had a small smile pulling at the sides of his face. Pidge huffed.

“What! That’s going to be like.. More than a year! Like.. TWO!” It was the middle of fall now and kerberos was planned for spring. Matt just laughed. “How do you know he’s gonna wait around a year for you anyways.” Pidge said rather solemnly. “You know, I mean. I don’t mean to be that person.. but that’s a long time. And a long way away?” Pidge watched to see if Matt’s expression changed. Instead he only shrugged in a lazy fashion.

“Hm..” He muttered. “You know. I actually think it’ll turn out just fine.” Pidge shook their head in response. They folded their arms across their chest and rested their head across the window, watching the town go by as they drove. It was a long time away, but if that was what it would take, then Pidge would accept it.

But the day Pidge met the boy her brother was in love with did not come when they were expecting it. Matt Holt and his Father did not return.


	2. Who is He

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt meets Shiro per his father's request and feels his new crush hit him like a pile a bricks. Can't say Shiro doesn't feel the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've used the tumblr post about Japanese/Brazilian Shiro as my guide in this chapter as far as Shiro's history but If the mentions or the language additions seem wrong to anyone who would know better please don't be afraid to inform me so I can fix it! I'm so for that headcanon. Also Chapter 3 and 4 are in the works, 5 and 6 are planned, so don't go anywhere too fast.

Matt was sitting at the bottom of the steps at the front of the university. He was seated near the railing, his medium weight coat zipped up and hands shoved in his pockets. The weather was mild, and hardly ever snowed where he lived, but the frosty air was still liable to give someone the chills so he shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets.

“One of the pilots that was shortlisted for the Kerberos mission is attending your school for further education, per the request of the space center.” Matthew’s father Sam explained. “You should meet up with him. We all may end up being stuck in a spacecraft for a year. Might as well become acquainted now.” 

There was a rather long and tedious application process for the mission to the moon of Pluto. However, not many people who already were or were on their way to becoming experts in the field of microbiology were applying. Much to Matt’s mother’s dismay, he had a good chance of being chosen for the project.

So there Matt sat and waiting for the person who would potentially fly him to the edge of the solar system. Unfortunately, he was not even entirely sure who he was waiting for. His name was Takashi Shirogane; a fact Matt only found out after a painfully awkward exchange of emails with him to make plans for meeting. Matt should have perhaps asked for a picture because the only physical description he had to go on was a vague one his father provided.

“Tall boy, dark hair…” Matt repeated Sam’s description to himself with some distain. There were lots of tall guys with dark hair. In his muttering, he hardly notice someone come down the stairs and approach him.

“Uhh, are you Matt?” A voice asked from behind.

Matt turned and stared up at man who was a few steps behind him. The boy seemed about the same age as himself. He sported deep black hair that was cut short along the back and the sides and was longer in the front. His eyes were a brown grey mixture and the shapes of his face were well defined. He wore a yellow jacket that seemed to be made out of athletic material and fitted, yet loose shaped jeans. He found himself staring and realized it only after it probably became odd.

“Yeah! I'm Matt!” Matt stood as fast as he could, nervously chuckling while extending a hand in greeting. “You're Takashi then? I apologize if I'm saying your name wrong, I wasn't given many details about you.” The stranger stood at least half a foot taller than Matt’s small stature. _Well shit,_ Matt thought, _he’s hot._

“No worries! You're actually saying it right.” The boy had to reach to take a hold of Matt's hand with his own and give it a shake. “You can call me Shiro though.” Shiro smiled brightly and Matt tried to ignore the warm feeling gathering in his face. _Damnit, a nice smile too._

“So, I thought maybe we could go to the library? If you wouldn't mind helping me study. I think you said in our emails you may be helpful with what I’m stumped on?” He asked Matt, his hands folding into the pockets and of his coat.

“Oh sure! Sure. Good idea.” Matt was eternally grateful that Shiro had spoke up with a plan because he had just realized he never thought of one beyond actually meeting. Matt pulled the collar of his shirt and coat nervously before he turned to follow Shiro who had already began to make his way back up the stairs to the entrance of the school.

As they walked through the halls to the library, Shrio explained how after he was put on the list for the Kerberos project, they required him to take a number of science courses from an institution of higher education. Since he had graduated from the Garrison school that was within driving distance of where they had given him housing and was working there as a simulator instructor part time, it was easiest to let him attend school close by as well.

“Why make you take these classes.?” Matt questioned, tilting his head to glance at Shiro as they took a turn down a hall.

“It makes sense I guess, maybe” Shiro shrugged as they finally came to the entrance of the university Library. He grabbed a hold of the door and insisted Matt walk in before him so he could continue to speak without turning around. “But I’d be the pilot you know. I'm not going to be much use for the science aspect. But it looks good for credentials?” Shiro continued to ponder as they both passed through the doors.

There was a large line of windows that looked out towards a large courtyard of the school on one side of the library. Tables were spread out at each of the windows in a large study area and bookshelves heavily lined the inner parts of the room. The library was not too busy, nor too quiet that late Wednesday afternoon and the gentle murmur of other students kept Matt from getting on edge.

“Whatever made you want to become a pilot, for space crafts of all things?” Matt asked after the two of them had settled into their seats at a table that fell in the middle of the line up. They had both slung their belongings on the table and Shiro took a moment to look up from searching through his backpack so he could look at Matt before he answered.

“When I was little I used to go to this observatory with my parents. It was like hmm,” Shiro made some mental calculations, “5 hours away from where I grew up?” There was a bright shine in Shiro’s eyes as he reminisced about the first time he went to the Observatory with his parents. “I know it’s kinda cheesey, but when we were first there and I looked up at the stars, I just knew it was where I was supposed to go… I dunno.” Shiro rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

Matt listened intently. He was honestly not expecting an answer. He could recall so many times he asked others what why they wanted to pursue their major and many times their answers would be vague, incomplete or some version of “I’m not entirely sure”. But Shiro’s answer about why he pursued what he did was concise and endearing. Matt could not help but smile.

The pair spent nearly two hours in the library simply sharing stories, neither ended up getting any study materials from their backpack. Though Shiro was quick to his introduction, he spent more time listening to Matt than talking himself.

“Sorry, I feel like I'm rambling.” Matt scratched at his head while apologizing for speaking for such an extended period of time.

“No, no, It's fine really,” Shiro assured. His hand was propped up by his elbow resting on the table and he held his head, slightly tilted in the palm of his hand. “I like listening to people and your family sounds nice.” Shiro’s eyes were soft and attentive and he let a grin break across his features once more.

The gesture instantly made Matt feel a little weak. Great Matt thought to himself. He could feel that smile turning into the makings of a crush at the fringes of his mind. _I need to stop instantly falling in love with any handsome boy that smiles at me._

Though love was an exaggeration, getting a crush on a boy was not unfamiliar to Matt. It was just something he did not actually register as attraction until relatively recently. He wanted to let out the deepest sigh he could muster, get up, grab his things and say “goodbye handsome kind smart and funny, I'll talk to you again in about a month when I'm over my sudden feelings which you surely don't share.” But he was instead drawn back to the present by Shiro’s voice.

“Hey, it’s getting a little late. I'm heading down to the corner place to grab something to eat before I head home. Would you wanna come?” Shiro stood and began to gather his things, his gaze moving between his few belongings strewn on the table and Matt.

“Uhh no,” What Matt really meant was, yes, terribly so. But instead he thought up an excuse on the spot. “I MEAN, uhh I would like to! Yes! But I actually have to pick up my little sister from her friend’s house and I've just realized I'm actually late.” He stood up from his seat, pushing the chair around without much thought, obviously flustered. Shiro took a step back and watched as Matt nearly knocked his backpack off the table. Matt could have sworn he saw Shiro’s lips pull as if he was trying to suppress laughter.

“Well uh, can I give you my number? So we don’t have to use email.” Shiro suggested. “I’d like to hang out, or uh study, or.. Yeah again.” Shiro could feel himself stuttering and ended his sentence. Though Shiro did not find it hard to socialize, he seldom opened up to strangers the way he did to Matt. But there something about him. His kind eyes and his rambling that left Shiro nothing less than a little smitten.

“Actually, I’m not very busy, but I don’t know your schedule, so why I don’t I give you my number, then you can hit me up whenever you’re free?” Matt came back quickly. After a quick exchange of the phone number Shiro waved goodbye to Matt. He flashed that smile again and suddenly all Matt wanted to do was hide under the table.

Upon returning home, Matt went to his room and sat contemplating. It was not long before he was pulling up his group chat on his phone.

 **“Groupon”**  
**BigNerdo:** wtf who changed my name again  
**BigNerdo:** whatever anyways guys;; I met this kid today  
**BigNerdo:** he’s so like perfect… wtf  
**BigNerdo:** he asked me to go get food AND I LIED AND SAID I HAD TO PICK UP KATIE  
**BigNerdo:** GUYS  
**BigNerdo:** GUYSSSS  
**BigNerdo:** literally useless, all of you

Matt’s attempts to contact his friends via group chat came fruitlessly. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and let himself fall face first onto his bed. Then his phone vibrated. He huffed and shuffled around on his bed until he could pull his phone from his pants. He was expecting to see a notification from the chat, but instead he unlocked the device to see he had received a text. It read:

_Hey this is Shiro. would you want to come study in the library sunday and then maybe get lunch?_

And So Matt found himself at the provided address on Sunday morning around 8 am. They had talked briefly through text, but otherwise did not speak much besides their interaction on Wednesday. It was a nice place, Matt noted. Not too far from town, but not close enough to make the rent outrageous. Matt felt desperately like he needed to use the bathroom when he arrived at the apartment door, his nerves proving to get the best of him.

Matt hardly noticed himself taking his hand and knocking on the door of Shiro’s home on the second floor of the complex. After he finished the final knock, he had half a mind to turn tail and run. Before he could make any sort of decision like that, he heard speaking.

“Come in, sorry I’m almost ready.” Matt detected Shiro speaking from somewhere beyond the door. With hesitation, Matt turned the gold painted knob and took a step inside. It was not terribly large inside. There was a kitchen area to the left with a small dining table. A somewhat small and dim chandelier hung above the table. A living area with a couch, television and sliding glass door to an outside Balcony sat on the right. Matt continued to scan the surrounds and noted down the short hall there was an open doorway. Presumably the bedroom. He watched Shiro emerge from the room just to the left on the flat side of the hall and skirt into the open doorway only to return to what seemed to be the bathroom once more. Matt was so preoccupied with studying the home, he hardly noticed Shiro’s voice.

“Huh? Sorry did you say something?” Matt questioned. Shiro poked his head out of the bathroom and pointed with his left hand to the phone in his right. “Oh. Sorry.” Shiro waved his hand as if accepting the needless apology. It took Matt another moment to realize he had no idea what Shiro was saying

“Não, mãe sua multa.” Matt heard from the bathroom. _Okay well, that was not english_ “Tchau te amo. Yeah yeah diga ao pai eu o amo também.” _Yeah, definitely not._ Matt was still hardly convinced he was not imagining Shiro speaking in another language. He heard a quiet beep and the sound of Shiro setting the phone down on the bathroom counter.

“Was that uh, Spanish?” Spanish was the closest language Matt could guess that sounded remotely like what Shiro had been speaking.

“Portuguese actually, but they’re similar to untrained ears.” Shiro parted his lips into a grin as he walked into the hall. _Damnit,_ Matt swore to himself. _That smile again._ “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold us up, it was my mom.” Shiro slipped easily back into the bedroom for a moment to grab his backpack and emerged with it hanging off one of his shoulder. He moved to the coat rack by the door and slipped on blue swishy windbreaker over his worn white t-shirt.

“Your mom speaks portuguese?” Matt wanted to slap himself. Obviously his mother speaked portuguese, that’s why he was talking to her in it. _Step one,_ Matt continued his internal monologue _Don’t embarrass yourself. Step one failed._

“Yeah. My family’s from São Paulo.”

“Like in Brazil?”

“Like, exactly like in Brazil.” Shiro chuckled and leaned to grab his set of keys off the counter before making his way to the door and heading out of it. He swung a hand, inviting Matt to follow him. With the door locked and closed behind them, they continued down the hall.

“So you speak English and Portuguese? That’s pretty neat.” Matt was actually jealous. He took german in highschool and latin in college, but neither of those languages had yet to become incredibly useful to him. Latin held some weight in his biology studies, but otherwise they were hardly anything but credits on a transcript.

“Dad’s japanese, so I know that too. And a little bit of Russian from classes at the Garrison.” Shiro explained.

“Oh hell,” Matt laughed. “How do you keep track of all that?” Shiro answered only with a wide smile and laughter in return.

Shiro went on about that where he had lived was closest to a community where both of his parent’s cultures could be shared. He had lived in São Paulo until he was 14 before his parents moved to California.  
“They knew what I wanted to do and Since the Garrison school, had the best turnout rate was in the US they moved. They actually just moved back to Brazil about a year ago. It’s funny really. They’re the ones always telling me, ‘You have to learn to be independant and work on your own and blah blah blah’ and yet they’re the ones constantly calling me.” He joked as they made their way down the sidewalk to get to Matt’s parked car.

“The audacity!” Matt chuckled at the situation that Shiro found ironic. His comment sent Shiro into a small laughing fit and Matt could not help but watch him the entire time. Matt managed to tear his gaze away before Shiro glanced back over.

The rest of their day was spent in similar conversations. Matt could not pinpoint it, but they got along so well. He found himself caught up on almost every story Shiro had to tell and when Matt spoke Shiro sat and listened as well.

Throughout the next weeks they continued their interactions like that. Eventually they did not go out as much and ended up spending time at Shiro’s apartment. They would play video games, just end up studying there, eating together or absently watching something on television together while they did school work. Shiro was partial to sports, Matt liked to turn on the discovery channel. 

“Hey don’t change that.. I was watching it.” Matt squinted, half tempted to snatch the remote from Shiro’s hands.

“Dude, everytime we turn on planet earth, you get distracted and don’t do any of your homework.” Shiro switched the channel over to a soccer game and plopped himself down on his couch.

“Fine, fine. You win this one.” Matt used his index finger to point accusingly at the boy on the other end of the couch with a grin.

Every time Matt left he felt a physical ache in his chest. The smile that would ghost across Shiro’s face when he was trying to suppress laughter, the way his hair swayed in his face, even the terrible swishing of his windbreaker made Matt’s heart beat a little faster.

“Hey,” Shiro rolled over on his couch to stop Matt before he was leaving one day. Matt nearly felt his heart skip a beat as Shiro’s hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Hmm?” Matt tried to suppress himself from going wide eyed.

“You’re gonna help me with that astronomy thing right?” Shiro looked up towards Matt from his seat on the couch. He suddenly let go of his grip on the other boy as if he had just realized he did such an action in the first place.

“Yeah, totally. I’ll see you at the Cafe tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” It was the most heart melting smile Matt swore Shiro could have ever made towards him as he left the apartment that day and made his way out of his car. 

“Shit.” Matt pressed his forehead into the steering wheel of his vehicle when he finally got in. He groaned and pulled his phone out of his pocket to read a text message from Shiro.

_Tell me when you get home!_

Matt hit his head gently off the top of the wheel a number of times before he started the car, put it gear and began his drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy kudos and comments to know if youre all enjoying this so please remember to support ur local matt/shiro writer


	3. Starry Eyed Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt nervously agrees to help Shiro with an astronomy project as he struggles to figure out what to do with his feelings for him. Luckily it seems as though Shiro has been trying to figure out a solution himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS THE SMOOCHING Chapter o yaa. Lots of Fluff and feelings good stuff. We also get introduced to some of Matt's friends who will be relevant side characters in following chapters.

It was only yesterday when Matt had finally made solid plans to meet Shiro so he could help him with an astronomy project. He was sitting at a round table near the back corner of the College Street Cafe with two of his good friends, they were waiting for a third. It was friday, so none of them had classes but at Matt’s request they had gathered there to wait with him for Shiro.

“Does the coffee taste weird to you?” One of his companions, Nina, spoke. Her words snapped Matt out of an intense train of thought. He looked over to her sipping hesitantly at small cup of the caffeinated drink. Her dark eyes crossed as she stared into the lid.

“No.” Matt’s other friend, Karn, had answered. Karn’s eyes did not move from their focus buried in his computer. Matt glanced between the two and caught Nina’s eyes narrowing in playful annoyance.

Matt brought both of his hands up to his face and rubbed deeply at his eyes under his glasses. He then reached his hand up and shut his laptop with a gentle click. Nina’s tightly curled black hair bounced as she set her coffee cup down and tilted her head to look towards Matt. Her eyes were soft and looked at Matt with attention, expecting him to speak.

“What?” Matt questioned when he noticed Nina was looking towards him.

“You’re gonna say something.”

“Am not..” Matt Huffed. Nina rolled her eyes. She knew her friend well enough to know he was lying. “Okay.. I, ugh” Matt sighed and honestly just wanted to clonk his head off the table. “I don’t know what to do about this guy. I got it bad.” Matt buried his face into his hands and Nina giggled. “It’s not funny.” Matt muffled from behind his hidden face.

It was not hard for Nina and Karn to decipher what Matt meant. Ever since Matt met Shiro a few weeks ago he could hardly stop talking about him. Though they teased and joked about Matt’s attraction to this boy, it was obvious the two had grown close in the past month or so they had known each other and now Matt harbored genuine feelings for him.

“Dude, why don’t you just ask him out. You’ve been hanging out like nonstop for weeks now.” Karn interjected, his still eyes not moving anywhere but between his screen and his keyboard. Nina hummed in agreement.

“I have to go to the bathroom before he gets here.” Matt exhaled, feeling entirely overwhelmed. He stood quickly and pushed his chair into the table in manic rush before he darted off to the bathroom. Nina and Karn exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

The cafe was normally buzzing with a pleasant amount of business and today was no exception. There were a few empty tables, a few full, and customers were coming in and out for to go orders. The door was opening and closing as paetrons came and went but Nina happened to notice when someone matching Shiro’s description came in the door. Nina eyed at Karn from over the top of his laptop.

“Tall kid, dresses kinda goofy, black hair and undercut at your six.” Nina tapped on the back of Karn’s laptop with the nail of her index finger. 

“Is it him?” Karn did not want to turn around and stare.

Shiro had on a loose, light teal long sleeve with fitted cuffs. The shirt was half tucked into the waist of his cuffed jean pants. He excused himself out of the way of someone else trying to enter the building and caught a glance at the time on his watch on his left wrist. He then stood by the front window of the shop, looking a bit confused.

“Hey, Shiro!” Nina took a calculated chance on the boy being Matt’s new friend and called out. She gave a wide smile and waved her hand in a friendly gesture. Shiro raised a brow and looked over. He eyed at Matt’s belongings on the table and figured these must be the friends Matt said he would be with. Shiro strode over, his hands clutched loosely around the straps of his backpack. 

“You’re Nina, or Cassidy?” Shiro asked once after making his way to the table.

“Nina! Nice to finally meet you!” She smiled brightly while letting her weight fall back against the chair. _Finally meet?_ The thought popped into Shiro’s mind. Did Matt talk about him often? The thought made him a little warm and he found himself smiling. He readjusted his features before he continued talking.

“And you must be Karn?” Shiro gestured towards the boy sitting with his laptop. His fingers were clicking away at the keys. He stopped briefly to offer a hello and smile to Shiro. Shiro then turned to Nina, his thumb looping into one of his belt loops anxiously. 

“Uh, is Matt here?” He glanced around the cafe. Matt did not seem to be around despite his things evidently strewn across the table.

“Yeah, he just went to the bathroom.” Nina explained. The three of them sat in silence, only the ambience of the street and the cafe offering any sort of sound between them. It was making Nina uncomfortable, and she was concerned it was making Shiro feel that way too. She used her foot to strike at Karn from under the table. Her action earned a glaring stare and small grunt from Karn. Nina raised her brows aggressively and tilted her head a few times in Shiro’s direction. Karn got the hint.

“Why don’t you sit and wait with us?” Karn offered quickly, his hand gesturing vaguely to the empty seat at the table where Matt had been sitting.

“Oh. Sure, thanks!” Shiro had hardly been paying attention and was more interested in seeing if he could spy Matt. He did not notice the exchange between the two sitting at the table and so he took a seat when he was offered without much question. He let his backpack rest on his lap and began to shuffle through its contents absently, giving Nina the perfect opportunity to whip out her phone and test Matt.

I know you get the nervous shits but Ya boy’s here. Better hurry before Cassidy comes ;). Nina threatened. Their other friend Cassidy was supposed to be meeting them at the cafe as well. Only she was terribly nosy and Matt was reluctant to have her meet Shiro at this stage in the game.

 _AHHHSHUTUP_ Matt responded to Nina’s text as fast as he could from the bathroom.

Not wanting to sit in silence while Shiro messed with his belongings and Nina use her phone, Karn decided to speak.

“So, what are you and Matt doing?” Karn shut his laptop and propped his elbow up on the table so he could rest his against his hand. It took Shiro a moment to realize Karn was talking to him, but when he did, he was was happy to respond and break the silence.

“I have to watch the meteor shower for some part of my astronomy class,” Shiro huffed. “Matt said he had some equipment at home, or something,” He shrugged, “I could use to really get a look at it.” Shiro was a little off put by most of these school assignments. He was a certified spacecraft pilot and yet he still had to take an entry level astronomy class at University. He had already had similar education at the Garrison. However, the opportunity to watch a meteor shower with Matt was appealing, so he did not complain too much.

“Ooh, neat. Where are you gonna go to watch it?” Karn continued the conversation, but Shiro did not have time to answer.

“HEY,” Matt laughed nervously as he arrived back at the table. He pushed his glasses up his face feverishly. “SORRY about that. Anyways let’s go! We gotta stop at my house for the stuff and then we can go to that place I told you.” Both Nina and Karn smirked at Matt.

“Sounds good,” Shiro stood and gathered his things. “Ill meet you outside. Nice to meet you two!” He waved at Matt’s friends before slowly making his way out of the Cafe to wait for Matt.

“He’s cute,” Karn noted.

“And totally into you.” Nina finished off the sentence with a wide, teasing grin. Matt was scurrying to shove his things into his backpack, his eyes narrowing into an icy stare at his friends. He turned to leave, only mumbling some sort of goodbye and waving in their direction. Both Nina and Karn were left giggling as he exited the Cafe.

 

“I don’t see why we couldn’t just take my bike.” Shiro hummed, his seat in Matt’s car was put back nearly as far as it would go so he could put his feet on the dashboard and stick his hands up behind his head. The light was fading from the horizon and cast a fiery glare across the dusty plain of the mostly barren landscape. It shone in through the window, causing Matt to squint.

“Because we can’t take a telescope and observation equipment on the back of a motorcycle.” Matt argued, his gaze not wavering from the road in front of them. Shiro was going to continue the argument for the sake of banter, but rather took the opportunity to glance at Matthew out of the sides of his vision. A smile crept onto his face.

The road was mostly empty save for a few cars going back into the city. Shiro watched the growing, but sparse spring grasses come up in the mostly dusty landscape as they went alone. The stars were just becoming visible in the last rays of run and the moon was about 3 quarters full in the clear sky. Matt took them through a windy side road that ended up near a large rock outcropping.

“You’ll have to carry this equipment.” Shiro could hardly hear Matt as he was half buried in the trunk of the car. That and he was not paying attention to the moment and trying to focus on how not to make a fool of himself. 

“Huh?”

“I SAID,” Matt had to drag his face out of the rear of the car and repeat himself. “You’ll have to carry this stuff.”

“Aww, why me?” Shiro complained light heartedly after arriving near the trunk to take the things he would need. Matt simply rolled his eyes, placing some star maps and measuring tools into Shiro’s arms. They had to walk their way up the rocks to the top of the small cliff like structure that stuck out of the ground. Shiro carried the things he would need for his project and Matt carried a blanket to sit on and some clipboards.

“Hey, how does the solar system organize a party?” Matt gave Shiro a toothy grin while he plopped himself down onto the blanket. Shiro raised a brow.

“How?” He mused.

“They…” Matt paused in an attempt to add some sort of drama to the punchline of his joke. “Plan-et!” Matt let out a hearty bit of fake laughter. Shiro could not help but crack a smile and roll his eyes while he began to write some things down on the paper and clipboard.

Eventually he took a seat down on the blanket next to Matt a generous distance away. It was not that he did not want to sit close to Matt, but it made him nervous and he felt like if he was start speaking he would just produce word vomit. However, He found himself accidentally scooting closer as the evening wore on. He would not admit that he underdressed and was trying to not shiver, so he hoped Matt would give off some warmth.

“Did you see that one?” Matt would point into the sky and direct where on a star chart that Shrio should plot where he saw the shooting star. “What about that one?” Shiro soon just gave him a copy of the star chart.

“Why don’t you plot the ones you see, and I plot the ones I see, and then I’ll make a big one out of later.” He suggested and Matt agreed. They sat mostly in silence, save for a few exchanges of the words and the sounds of insects littered across the landscape. It was nice, peaceful.

“Wait, I don’t think you’re doing that right..” Shiro pointed out after some time passed. He leaned, trying to peek at Matt’s star chart.

“What do you mean.. I’m doing it exactly the way you’re doing it.” Matt tapped his writing utensil impatiently on the clipboard.

“I dunno lemme see.” Shiro tried to scoot closer to Matt. “No.. see, I dunno. It looks different.” He leaned again, straining his eyes to see in the dark. He bumped into Matt’s knee with his own and jerked backwards, his face feeling flushed. “Sorry.” Shiro tried to apologize nonchalantly but could feel his own nerves getting to him.

Matt suddenly felt like his blood was about to boil. Here was, sitting with Shiro in the middle of a rock, in the middle of nowhere, under a starry sky, watching shooting stars. It did not seem real. Matt could hear Shiro speaking, but the beating of the blood in his ears made it hard to pay attention.

“Matt..” Shiro called, using his hand to gently grab at Matt’s shoulder. “Matt are you listening to me.” Matt used his hand furthest from Shiro to forcefully push his glasses up his face.

“No.” Matt blurted and Shiro frowned. “I MEAN,” Matt could feel himself starting to break into a cold, nervous sweat when he looked at Shiro in the paleness of the silver moonlight. “I’m just. I’m not a space engineer you know, some of this just doesn’t make sense to me and I’m just trying to help out and-”

“One,” Shiro interrupted, exhaling a calming breath. “I’m not a space engineer either. Whatever that is.” He was definitely looking at Matt in the eyes now while his frown turned into a smile. Shiro’s hand had now fallen from Matt’s shoulder to lay across Matt’s own that was propping him up on the ground.

“Two,” Shiro continued with a chuckle. He could feel himself gravitating closer to Matt in some sort of mixture of both conscious feeling and subconscious desire to be closer to him. “Your star map is upside down.” Shiro used his other hand that was not resting on Matt’s to move the clipboard from Matt’s lap and turn it the other direction. 

“And three… you’re overthinking” Matt did not realize how close Shiro was to his face until that moment. Shiro stared at this boy in the moonlight, under the blanket of stars. He could not tell exactly what it was about Matt, but since that day a number of weeks ago when they had met, he could not keep him off his mind. Whether he was rambling about the science he loved, or talking about his little sister, or making a bad joke, or flashing a smile at him from across the room when he thought he was not looking. Matt was always at the back of his mind and now he was closer to him than ever.

And in Matt’s midst of trying to not make a fool of himself, to try to play it cool and not fall fast and hard for Shiro, he had hardly payed attention to the fact that Shiro was falling for him too. And some people would say it was too quick, and some would say it was not right, but Matt knew and Matt did not care. It was not other people's business. Matt knew he wanted Shiro. And not just in the sense of desire. He just wanted to be close, to talk, to share with him and all the parts of his interesting being. Matt felt like he knew him his entire life, and deep down in some wishful thinking hoped he could know him for the rest of it too.

Matt was too busy thinking to himself, too busy being caught up in his emotions he hardly knew what was going before he felt the touch of Shiro’s lips on his own. They were kissing. He was kissing Shiro. It was soft and sweet, their lips touching gently and parting only slightly while they tilted their heads side to side in soft rhythm. Matt felt the gentle touch of Shiro’s hand at the base of his neck, his fingers in his hair while he tried to pull Matt closer. Not roughly, but in a way as if Shiro was asking for Matt to give and would only pull him closer once he did.

But suddenly Matt realized what was happening and drew back, parting from Shiro with a small bit of force. His face was beat red, he could tell from the heat in his ears and his eyes were wide. 

“Uh..” Shiro mumbled, a brow raising curiously. They looked each other in the eyes and even in the low lighting of only the moon it was easy for each of them to see the other’s red face. “Did I really misread this entire situation or was that okay..” Matt could still hardly move.

“No.” He squeaked.

“No… I didn’t misread the situation.. Or no, that wasn’t okay.” Matt could not imagine that Shiro’s one brow could raise any further. He was clearly confused by Matt’s answer.

“Yeah.” Matt answered quickly and Shiro looked like he was about to lose it.

“Matt.. i’m gonna-”

“NO,” Matt exhaled sharply. “You didn’t misread the situation… Yeah, it was okay.” He felt like he was going to pass out, his palm sweaty as he gripped Shiro’s hand tighter. Shiro exhaled as if he had been holding his breath for a thousand years. He leaned closer to Matt once more, resting the side of his head on his shoulder.

“Good, because I’ve been wanting to do that.” Matt heard Shiro speak while he shifted his own weight to better support Shiro’s head. Matt could feel the muscles in Shiro’s face tighten and shift, his blank expression was up turning into a smile. Matt could not help but follow suit, his lips spreading into a grin. He felt his fast beating heart slow while they sat on that blanket, their fingers interlocking and their faces both upturning to look at the stars.

“I uhh,” Matt lowered his gaze so he could look towards Shiro. Sensing Matt’s shifting scope, Shiro lifted his head from his shoulder so he too could look at his companion. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before.” 

“Do you want one?” Shiro’s smirk was just visible in the light of the moon. Matt tensed and Shiro felt it in the grip of his hand. Of course he wanted one, and he wanted it to be Shiro. The thought made his heart flutter once more. He had had a small number of girlfriends before, but never a boyfriend. Shiro began to chuckle.

“I dunno if you want one, they can be pretty needy and take up a lot of your time. You know, taking you out to eat and watching TV with you, and making you come watch meteor showers for astronomy homework with them.”

“Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like someone I know.” Matt relaxed and lowered his shoulder as he tilted his head in Shiro’s direction, his eyes partially rolling. Shiro broke into a chuckle again.

“Yeah, I bet he’d like to be your boyfriend.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

“Oh, do you now?” The only thing that broke their chorus of mutually, mildly embarrassed laughter was their lips coming together, just as before.

They remained there on that rock for some time. Though Shiro did not want to let go of Matt’s hand, he insisted that he did actually have to finish the part of his assignment and needed his hand. Matt let it go, but he averted his eyes from the sky to stare at Shiro for their remaining time sitting on the blanket. Shiro would glance over ever so often, that smile that made Matt’s heart want to melt coming across his face.

“Oh shit,” Matt finally announced after taking a look at his phone. “It’s late, I gotta get home.”

“It’s not like we have school tomorrow, it’s friday.” Shiro pointed out, but he complied to the statement and began to pack up some of the tools and papers strewn about.

“Yeah, yeah I know, but I don’t want to keep my family waiting up for me.” Matt reasoned.

So they gathered everything they had brought up to the lookout point and on their way down, Shiro extended his right arm backwards towards Matt. Matt raised a brow and stared as he watched Shiro’s fingers wiggle.

“What are you-”

“Take my hand.” Shiro’s words were not a demand, more like a request or suggestion. Matt shoved the blanket up under his right arm and adjusted his phone in his hand so he could use the flashlight. He reached out with his left, taking Shiro’s hand in his own. That is how they walked back to Matt’s car. Hand in hand, both warm and smitten.

Shiro insisted he drove the car home since Matt had driven them there. Matt was convinced it was just so Shiro could use his right hand to continue to hold Matt’s left.

“You should put both hands on the steering wheel you know.” Matt had a smile pulling at the sides of his face, his comment holding an air of sarcasm.

“I’m potentially gonna drive a spaceship to a moon at the edge of the solar system in like a year, and you doubt my ability to drive a car and hold my boyfriend’s hand?” Matt sunk into his seat at Shiro’s words. _My boyfriend._ Matt repeated in his head.

The ride home was as peaceful as they come. The light of a few cars casting shadows within the car was a calming sensation to Matt. He would occasionally look over at his own hand interlocked with Shiro, still in disbelief. He only ever let go when Shiro decided he was lost and tried to use his phone to GPS his was back to his apartment. Matt ended up snatching the phone from him, refusing to let him play around on it and drive. 

When they finally arrived back at Shiro’s apartment, the two got out so Matt could take his place back in the driver's seat and Shiro could return home. Shiro caught Matt by his shoulders as they walked by each other at the front of the car. He stood there briefly, only smiling down at him.

“I don’t what it is,” Matt looked down towards his feet. “About you, I don’t know. I don’t know where I’m going with this either.” He laughed nervously and looked back up the see Shiro looking at him attentively. “It’s like, uh. You.. with the stars? Maybe.. It just feels.” Matt shrugged, not entirely sure how he wanted to end his sentence to tell Shiro how he felt. To Matt, everything about him was wonderful in every way. How to put that into word, he was not sure. However, it seemed obvious that Shiro shared the same train of thought because he gave Matt a quick peck on his cheek and a hug.

“Text me when you get home okay?” Matt just nodded and they lingered there for a moment, their bodies close together before Shiro adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and took his leave. He turned briefly to wave goodbye, a small cherry bounce in his step as he walked under the lights of the small parking lot towards the door of his building. Matt watched, his body leaning against the side of his car, his arms folded over his chest. He only retreated to the driver seat once he saw Shiro safely inside the door.

Shiro went up the stairs to the second floor, his hands in his pocket fumbling with his keys. He could hardly put the key into the knob to unlock his apartment door, his hands seeming to now be shaking. He slung his backpack on couch and immediately went down the hall to the bathroom. He just stopped and stared at his own reflection. His grin was going ear to ear.

When Matt finally arrived home, it was nearly 1 am. He entered the house quietly, his key turning the knob with a click. He crept around for fear of waking his sleeping family. When he turned the corner from the kitchen, he nearly had a heart attack. His little sister was sitting on the stairs.

“It’s one am.” Was all Katie said, her arms laid across her chest. It was obvious she was looking for an explanation that Matt did not want to give.

“What the hell Katie! Go to bed!” Was all he could come back with. When she insinuated with her next words that he had indeed, not been studying as he usually said he was, he lied.

“I was downtown. I’m an adult you know.” Matt huffed. Katie squinted. He was being defensive and was terrible at hiding the starry look in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again everyone for the Kudos and comments! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story! I'm having fun writing it! Chapter 4 won't be put up as fast as this one, but I promise it'll come. If you're interested in keeping up with the story progress, you can follow me on my main blog mattmurdockofficial.tumblr.com Thanks again for your support and don't forget to leave a kudos and/or comment!


	4. He's Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a little uncohesive but I had to establish a little bit about the side characters and other parts of the story before I continued on. Hopefully you all still enjoy it! Plus i wanted to add some more meaty bits and bonding to Matt and Shiro's relationship.

Matt was seated behind the reception desk at the front of the school. It was his assigned duty for the week as a student employee. He was usually able to work in the science department, so his current work was less than stimulating.

Occasionally the phone would ring, or a younger student would walk by and ask for help, but otherwise he was stuck bored behind the desk. He tried tapping his fingers in and off rhythm, or would play with the strings on the collar of his orange pullover to try to keep busy. However he more often than not found himself looking absently out the large, glass entrance doors across the corridor.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something?” A voice called out to him. Matt was busy in a trance looking out the windows when he heard the sound. He quickly sat up from his slouched position and tried to look as though he actually had some interest in what he was doing. When he finally looked at who was speaking, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Would you be able to tell me when my boyfriend was done working today?” It was Shiro. He let his upper body lean on the desk, propped up by his elbows. He gave Matt a goofy grin. _His boyfriend_ It had been nearly a month and half and he still could not believe that this handsome fool was dating him. Matt inspected him carefully with intrigue, having not seen him yet today. From what Matt could see, Shiro had on a pastel colored, floral button up and a backwards baseball cap on. Surely his was wearing a pair of cuffed jeans as well. 

“Never,” Matt let his head roll lazily over his shoulders, eyeing at Shiro once more to appreciate his clothing choices. He dressed somewhat inconsistently but Matt found no fault in it. He rather enjoyed seeing all of Shiro’s different outfits.

“Dude I’m so bored,” He continued. “ I wish Doctor Main didn’t leave already, I’d much rather be in class right now.” Matt would usually be in class during a monday afternoon, but one of his professors had left for spring break early. He decided since he would be free, he would work.

“I think you’re the only person I know who would rather be taking a graduate class over sitting at a desk for a few hours.” Shiro huffed and reached over the front of the desk to grab a pencil from the lower section. He began tapping it against the desk’s surface.

“What are you doing out of class so early?” Matt asked. He narrowed his gaze at Shiro. “You better not be skipping.”

“I’m not skipping, we took a test and I got done early.” Shiro assured. His incessant tapping with the pencil continued until Matt reached up and snatched it from him. Matt’s action earned him a frown. 

Suddenly a phone call came through and while Matt tended to the person on the other end of the line, Shiro paced around the entrance hall. He pretended to be interested in recreation artworks hanging on the walls, and fake plants that stood next to the window. When Matt hung up the phone, he eyed over the desk at Shiro who was continuing to pace.

“You can’t really hover while I’m trying to work. I don’t want to get in trouble.” He raised a brow and pushed his glasses up his nose. Shiro slouched in response from across the hall, his backpack nearly sliding off his narrowed shoulders.

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” He folded his arms over his chest after approaching the desk once more.

“Why don’t you go home and get ready to go teach that mentor class or whatever at the Garrison. Or go pack your things for when you go visit your parents over spring break. Which I know you haven’t done yet.” He said pointedly. Shiro sneered “Or, go do your homework so you can come play mario kart at Cassidy’s tonight.” Matt suggested, looking rather smug. Shiro scrunched his nose and snorted. Those were unfortunately reasonable ideas.

“Yeah, yeah.” Shiro waved his hand dismissively. He stared at Matt from the other side of the desk for a moment before he leaned in to give an instinctual goodbye kiss. Matt however leaned back and put his hands up.

“Hey, Hey.” Matt called and prompted him to stop. When Shiro leaned back into a less invasive position, he frowned. He had hardly realized what he was doing. It was practical knee jerk reaction to kiss Matt before he said goodbye, but he had forgotten they were in public.

Their inability to show romantic affection to each other in most any situation, save for when they were around Matt’s friends, was an unfortunate side effect of the two of them not being out. In addition, even if they were not both boys, the implications of two dating crew members potentially going on the Kerberos mission was not exactly looked at with grace.

It was not worth arguing and with their potential positions on the Kerberos mission at stake and their personal lives, they mutually decided the best course of action would be to continue to limit the broadcasting of their relationship. It was not something Shiro was completely unfamiliar with. He had been with boys before, though mostly a number of years ago in highschool. Matt on the other hand was entirely unaccustomed to hiding his relationship, but he kept up the guise of he and Shiro simply being best friends thus far. The inability to be open about their relationship was not a strain, but it was disheartening.

“Go home, do whatever you have to do, and come to Cassidy’s later? Okay? I’ll text you the address when I’m done here.” Matt spoke with an enthusiastic undertone in his voice in an attempt to pull Shiro’s mind out of its sudden state of disappointment that Matt could clearly see on his face. Shiro stood back up straight and adjusted his hat, nodding with what seemed like a forced smile. He was still dwelling on the fact he could not kiss his boyfriend. He took a minute to perk up.

“Right, yeah.” Matt watched as Shiro left with a sort of longingness in his gaze. He sighed after he completely left the building, looking back down with boredom at a small stack of papers in front of him he was to file into phone messages left for so and so. He hoped the time would pass quickly. Not long after while he finally convinced himself to begin to file the papers, his phone vibrated. Matt slid it over inquisitively so he could get a better look. It was his group chat with Cassidy, Karn, and Nina.

 **Group Chat: “Why are we getting our masters”**  
**CandyCane:** Where my homies at  
**Korn:** huh  
**Korn:** ...who changed my name to Korn again  
**CandyCane:** who do you think  
**Korn:** thanks Cass what would I do without you  
**CandyCane:** I got you ;-)  
**Candycane:** But you’re not who im looking for where is Matt  
**Nina:** hes working  
**CandyCane:** Mattttt  
**CandyCane:** Matthhewww  
**Holster:** why is nina the only one with a normal name.. And also what do you want Im working  
**CandyCane:** are you brining ur bf to my place tonight so we can get our mario kart on  
**Holster:** yeah im brining him  
**CandyCane:** *bringing fuk u  
**CandyCane:** SWEET THO Now we can finally meet the kid Matt is getting DICK from  
**Holster:** I havent seen his dick yet, first off. Second if u say that to him ill never talk to you again  
**Nina:** You do realize we’ve met him before  
**Korn:** Multiple times  
**CandyCane:** wait seriously wtf no fair Matt wtf

And Matt left the chat at that, letting Karn and Nina duke it out with Cassidy. While she was one of his dearest friends, she could be a handful. He only hoped she would refrain from saying anything too impulsive or embarrassing to Shiro. With his phone put aside, he soon let himself return to his duties filing a few papers in the desk and staring mostly uninterested out the glass doors.

Shiro spent most of the early afternoon finishing up a project that was due before spring break before he drove his car to the Garrison school about an hour away from town. He was never entirely sure as to why they had put the school in such a remote location. He contemplated it absently on his way there while listened to a mix CD that Matt had made for him. His time there today at the school involved meeting someone who he apparently would begin to personally mentor. A boy named Keith Kogane.

Keith was a talented pilot, so he was told. Top of his class both academically and in terms of ability. However he had some ‘behavioral issues’ as it was described and was prone to disciplinary offenses. So Shiro was slightly off put by his assignment to be his mentor. It was fairly obvious they wanted Shiro to do this not only because having a top pilot graduate mentor a rising young pupil would help his skills, but because they wanted him to offer some emotional guidance.

He found this rather intimidating. Shiro considered himself someone capable of leadership; He had proved such before in high school, in sports, in extracurriculars, and at the garrison. But this task seemed different and he only hoped he would not fail. He dwelled on these thoughts on the ride over to Cassidy’s house on his motorcycle. He would make it a point to eventually bring it up with Matt. Matt had a little sister after all, he would understand teenagers perhaps better than he himself could? But now was a time for him to relax and have fun, so he shooed the thoughts as he pulled into Cassidy’s driveway.

“You get lost?” Matt was sitting on the ledge of the small porch on the rental House Cassidy lived at. Matt had made a point that Cassidy had a roommate, but luckily they were out of town so Cassidy had the house to herself. Shiro rolled his eyes under his helmet before he popped it off, setting on the seat of the shiny, black and silver motorcycle.

“It’s a little hard to read a gps and drive a bike.”

“You could have taken your car.” Matt smiled in an ‘i-told-you-so’ kinda of way. Shrio narrowed his gaze.

“I’m not gonna stop riding my bike.” Shiro knew what Matt was insinuating by his comment. He was not a fan of Shiro’s motorcycle riding habits and he was not shy to share his opinion.

Shiro made his way to the house up the short driveway, wasting no time in taking a hold of Matt’s hand with his own and pulling him close to deliver the kiss he had hoped to give him earlier at the school. Matt could feel warmth in his cheeks, the affection giving him butterflies. Here, in the driveway of his friend’s house in the dark, he was not afraid to return the kiss.

“You guys gonna come in here, Cass is about shitting herself.” Karn had emerged from behind the screen door at the front of the house. He looked at the two and then made an odd assortment of ‘uhh’ noises, somewhat embarrassed that he had interrupted their embrace.

“Yeah, okay. We’ll be right in.” Not letting go of Shiro’s hand, met lead him into the house. He was startled by Cass who came flying out of the kitchen, through the small spance of the living room and into the short entrance hall.

“Man I thought I was never gonna get to meet you!” Cassidy’s voice carried her seemingly endless enthusiasm. She grabbed at the straps of her tank top and pulled it up with haste and then quickly took a hair tie off her wrist to tie up her long strawberry blonde hair. She was quick moving and precise in her actions.

“Well I’m glad we finally can,” Shiro parted his lips in a small, a soft bit of laughter escaping his chest. “Thanks for having me over by the way.”

“YEAH, Yeah! No problem! no problem! Boy you sure are handsome. Matt got himself quite the catch.” Cassidy wiggled her eyebrows in Matt’s direction. Matt extended his arm to give his friend a gentle punch to the shoulder. He could still hear Shiro’s gentle laughter.

“LET’S GO, I WANT TO PLAY.” Nina clapped between her words. She was around the corner in the living room planted on the couch with the Wii remote in her hand. Karn had taken a seat next to her.

They agreed since the five of them were playing a four player game, someone could switch out every time. Shiro insisted that Matt, Nina, Cassidy and Karn played first. They all sat squished on the couch, the dim light from the lamp in the corner illuminating the room in a calm ambiance. Shiro leaned against the back of the couch and listened to Matt and his friend’s arguments and encouragements to each other and to the game. Before he knew it, he was handed the controller.

“You know how to play Mario Kart right?” Karn elbowed playfully at Shiro.

“UHH, Duh. I just didn’t want to play first so you guys had a chance to win.” He smirked, eyeing at everyone who had a remote. They went about picking their characters.

“Really.. Waluigi on a Bike.” Matt squinted at Shiro from his peripheral vision. Shiro squinted back.

“Yeah.. it’s a good bike..”

“You would.”

“Okay! You can spend all your time making fun of me after I win.” Shiro’s devilish smile was interrupted by a brief peck on the lips from Matt. “What! Distraction tactics.” Shiro called out between laughter.

“ALRIGHT, You can mack lips after the race let’s go, press the button!” Cassidy bounced on the arm of her couch. Nina watched from the other side, having given her controller to Shiro.

To everyone’s dismay, Shiro was indeed, incredibly good at the game. When they had finished their playing for evening at around 10, Karn stood and groaned.

“You know what, that’s not fair. You drive like.. Spaceships…of course you could win at Mario Kart.” Karn complained lightheartedly, glancing At Shiro who was leaned back against the couch. His arms were crossed behind his head and he was looking rather smug. “Hey,” Karn called to Matt who was down the hall in the kitchen. “I’m not playing mario kart with your boyfriend anymore. Completely OP.” Shiro gaped his mouth in false offense.

Everyone contributed to helping Cassidy clean up their mess. They had some snacks and pop cans strewn about, and while it was apparent that Cassidy did not mind small messes from the bout of clutter in the house, her roommate would not appreciate them leaving a mess.

“I’m glad I got to hang out with you and your friends.” Shiro noted as they stood outside Matt’s car. They had just waved goodbye to Nina and Karn who had driven over together.

“You're not kidding are you?” Matt folded his arms.

“No? Why would I be kidding.”

“I dunno. I just didn't want you to feel like I was forcing to come over.” Matt sighed, looking up at Shiro’s. Shiro looked down softly at him, the smile that made Matt’s heart melt pulling across his face.

“No, I was happy to hang out with them. They're apart of you and your life.” He took his hands and gripped gently at Matt's shoulders. “Plus they're fun.” He completed the exchange with a shrug. Matt looked away, pulling some at the strands of his own hair before Shiro pulled him into an embrace and planted a kiss in his hair.

“I should get home.” He mumbled into Shiro’s chest. The two of them broke apart and eyed at each other. Even in the badly filtered streetlight and the simplicity of the moment, Matt found himself feeling like he could hardly be any happier.

He watched Shiro get on his bike, a nervous pit in his belly as always when he rode that thing around. But like Matt's friends were a part of his life, riding that bike was a part of Shiro’s. He had to accept it whether he liked it or not. Fortunately, Shiro liked Matt's friends _more_ than Matt liked the bike.

“Hey, Matt.” He blinked and turned around to see Cassidy standing at her doorway. He looked at her in surprise.

“He’s nice.” She smiled, though it was hardly visible in the bad lighting. “And it doesn't hurt that he's hot.” She giggled.

“Yeah, he is.” He waved as she went back into her house, taking a few moments to collect himself before getting in the car. The smile he had struck as he watched Shiro drive away did not fade as he got into his car and began to drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may end up making a small drabble fill in about Shiro meeting Keith, but for now I'm just making a point to establish how they know each other. Next chapter is likely going to be a long one, so don't fret if I don't update for sometime. As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for the wonderful response thus far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt convinces Shiro to join a soccer league and he subsequently gets drunk after their first victory. Drunk Shiro is silly and whiny and Matt considers how deep his feelings are for Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter did not go the way I originally intended but hopefully you all enjoy it none the less. Drunk Shiro was fun to write lol

Shiro slid a dish full of fettuccine alfredo noodles across the small dining table to end up in front of Matt. Matt looked at the dish in delight and reached for it, hunger swimming in his eyes. He wasted no time in sticking his fork into the mixture and began to stuff it into his mouth.

“Slow, down I’m not gonna take it from you.” Shiro raised a brow quizzically at Matt. He was a little further into the kitchen, eating some of the noodles himself.

“Dude,” Matt muffled in between bites. “You made this? This is so good.”

“I mean, Stoffers made it. I stuck it in the microwave.” Shiro pursed his lips innocently as Matt gave him an accusing glare.

“I thought you said you could cook.” He stabbed his fork into the dish once again, this time making a scraping noise. “Because I sure can’t.”

“I can, but I’m tired and I just wanted to eat with you and not waste time making something.” Shiro smiled and eventually made his way over to the table to take a seat in one of his wooden chairs. “And stop talking with your mouthful.” Matt made a muffled giggling noise through his mouthful of pasta.

Matt was incredibly happy to be spending time with Shiro again. He had been gone for a week and a half visiting his parents in Brazil and since he left right after the last week of the spring semester, Matt had been terribly bored all week. Their ability to communicate was somewhat limited as well due to the fact that they both did not always have Wifi during the week.

Shiro set down his bowl for a moment and reached his right hand across the table, letting his fingers wiggle. Matt noticed only after shoving another forkful of alfredo into his mouth. He blinked and set his bowl down as well. He knew what Shiro wanted when he did that, and so Matt happily complied. He extended his own hand to take a hold of Shiro’s.

“I missed you.” Shiro propped a fist up with his elbow and let his chin rest on while he smiled at Matt from across the table. Matt squeezed his hand and smiled back.

“I missed you too. But Hey! But now that you’re back! I have something I want to show you.” Matt made a number of finger gun motions before he reached into his pocket pulling out a piece of paper. He spent a moment unfolding it before tossing it across the table in Shiro’s direction. He reached out hesitantly, taking the wrinkled paper up in his hand. He held it out as far as his arm would let him, his eyes opening wide and squinting as he tried to focus.

“You know you should probably just quit pretending like you don’t need glasses to read things-”

“Shush.” Shiro griped back, reaching over to the kitchen counter to grab his pair of reading glasses. He shoved them onto his face with a grumble, eyeing at flyer that was in his hands. “A soccer league?” He questioned, his eyes coming up across the top of the page to look towards Matthew.

“Yeah! I think you should join. Summer soccer club league, its on campus. Look it’s even divided by ages so you’d only be other people your age. ” Matt grinned widely. “You were complaining about how much you missed playing and how you were gonna be bored during the summer since I have a new job.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “It’s not a full time commitment thing, you go to the games and practices you can and have fun.” Shiro was seemingly unconvinced.

\--------------------------------------

“GO! RUN! KICK! SHOOT!” Matt yelled from the stands in the campus stadium. He was clapping wildly and cupping his hands over his mouth to allow his voice to carry further. It was Shiro’s first game and of course Matt was there to support him.

“Matt.. please stop yelling in my ear..” Nina groaned, sticking her little finger into the ear Matt was shouting in and wiggled it around. She had come along with Matt, having become good friends with Shiro as well.

It took Matt about another week since he had brought up the idea to convince Shiro to reconsider joining the soccer club almost a month ago. Shiro had not played any type of organized sport since high school, but luckily his muscle memory kicked in after only a few practices and he easily displayed his athletic talent. He was a team forward, strong at carrying the ball towards the goal.

“Wait, wait, where’d he go, I cant see ‘im.” Matt squinted, the glare of the 8 o’clock sun shining on his glasses making it hard for him to see.

“What you can’t keep track of your boyfriend.” Nina smirked.

“Shut up, the sun's in my eye- OH SHIT! Did he score that?” Matt jumped up out of his seat, still straining to see as number of others in the sparse crowd clapped and cheered.

“Nah not this time, but he passed it.” Nina’s pair of sunglasses made it easier for her to see. The game was nearly over when Shiro had assisted in the last goal, helping put his team up by now 3.

Matt watched in literal awe as Shiro ran up and down, and up and down, and up and down the field. He was not particularly sports orientated himself, he could hardly believe Shiro could have this much energy, but he was well in shape. The most Matt had ever done was play tennis, which was not easy to do well, but he only participated to get out of having to take gym class. Before Matt even looked at his phone another time to catch the time, a whistle blew and the game was over. Shiro’s team had one.

“Alright, I'm going to meet Rose for dinner.” Nina patted Matt on the thigh before she lifted herself from her seat.

“What? You're not even gonna wait with me.”

“Tell Shiro I said he should have considered a career in sports rather than space travel.” And with a teasing grin she waved Matt off to go spend the evening with her own girlfriend. Matt watched as she went down the stairs, puffing a bit because he did not want to wait out by his car alone for Shiro to be done in the locker rooms. But since he had no choice now, that is what he did; His back against the driver side door, his arms folded.

The sun was still casting some rays of light over the stadium and parking lot, but it was mostly empty and Matt had parked in a corner near the cover of trees, so when Shiro approached him he wasted no time in giving him a hug.

“Dude, you were awesome.” Matt laughed, pulling absently at the bottom hem of Shiro’s clean shirt he had changed into after the game. He laughed and rolled his eyes too and fro, flustered by the compliment.

“Nah, I- was just doing my part. Ya know.”

“Don't be so modest. You scored two goals and had two assists, and to think you're not even in top form right now.” Matt looked Shiro up and down, his eyes falling to his smiling face. He wanted to just reach up and kiss his face, run his fingers through his hair, hold him close right there in that parking lot, but movement caught the corner of his eye and he dropped his hand that was holding Shiro’s shirt. It was one of Shiro’s teammates, a kid the same age as Shiro named Luke. Matt had met him before.

“Hey, we're going downtown for drinks to celebrate. You comin?”

“Someone gonna drive?” Shiro questioned, turning slightly away from Matt.

“Yeah, Becca said she would.” Luke eyed past Shiro at Matt. “You wanna come too Matt?” Though no one on the team was particularly familiar with Matt, they had met him before and knew he was Shiro’s good friend. Luke figured the others would not mind if he came along.

“Uhh, no. Thanks. I gotta work tomorrow morning.” Matt answered shyly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Alright, well we’ll be at your place at 9:30 Shiro so don't dick around okay?” Luke waved and jogged off to own vehicle, leaving Shiro and Matt alone once more. Matt could not ignore Shiro’s pouting face.

“No.”

“Please.” Shiro made the widest, cheesiest grin he could manage.

“No, I'm not coming with you. I have to work tomorrow morning.” Matt answered sternly, his brow creasing.

“Fine,” Shiro huffed, easily defeated by Matt's ill humor on the subject. “Sneak me a kiss tho?” Matt looked down while he tried and failed to not break his expression into a smile. He scanned the parking lot to make sure the coast was clear before he leaned upwards as far as he could and Shiro leaned down so their lips met. 

They were together more than briefly, but not for an extended time. Just long for Matt to reach at Shiro’s hips, grazing his hands over them softly. Just long enough for Shiro to rest one hand on Matt's collarbone, taking small handful of his shirt before they parted. Matt pushed him away playfully, his glasses crooked on his face. 

“Go. Go away, have fun with your friends.” Shiro snuck in one more kiss on the side of Matt's face before he turned on his heels and began to walk across the parking lot to his own car. He turned his head every so often to look over his shoulder at Matt, who as usual did not even go to get into his car until Shiro was out of view.

Matt had returned home and argued briefly with his sister about his whereabouts as he did almost every evening. It put him on edge, so without even looking at the work he should have started for his summer classes, he readied himself for bed. He had a morning shift at the science center and did not want to be late or tired. He managed to sleep well for about an hour and half before his phone began to buzz, the noise waking him from his light slumber. He grumbled into his pillow and reached over, grabbing the device from his bedside table. A message from Shiro.  
_._  
**?**  
_oops lol_  
**…..**  
_actually our gonna be mad at me but I have a favor to ask of you dearest wonder bf of mine_  
**…...what**  
_would you be able…. to come ge t me from suzy’s_  
**wasn't becca ur DD**  
_my what_  
_oh_  
_well she was but I one know when she went_  
**she left?**  
_*when she went_  
_*when_  
_********* &where_

Matt stared blankly at his wall. Surely she would not have left his evidently drunk boyfriend where ever they had went. However, he was not really sure that was a risk he was willing to take.

**yeah I guess jfc are you SURE you're at suzys.**  
_umm yeah I'm shore what thw effects_  
**I'll be there in a little bit**  
_:^0 <33_

Matt looked at the time on his phone: 11:32pm. He grunted unhappily into his pillow, dragging himself out from under the comfortable sheet. He muttered and stomped as he dressed himself in something other than just his boxers and threw on a t-shirt and pair of basketball shorts before quietly making his way downstairs. He wanted to avoid waking his parents, and especially his sister at all costs. The last thing he wanted was another interrogation. 

Matt was fortunate enough to not live much more than 20 minutes from downtown. It was easy to make his way out of his neighborhood and head through the suburbs to the freeway into the city a short distance away. At around midnight, Matt walked into Suzy’s bar. The place was at a quiet bustle. It was notably not as busy as usual, but the many twenty something year olds that liked to claim that place as their main hang out could not completely be chased off by the impending weekday ahead. The restaurant tables were closed this late, so it did not take Matt long to scan the bar and spy Shiro at the far end of the wrap around counter. He approached him, obviously unamused.

“Hey, ass,” He called out, wrapping Shiro on the shoulder lightly with his backhand. Shiro spun around in his raised bar chair, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Matt.

“Matt? What are you doing here. I thought Shiro said you weren’t coming?” Matt looked to the girl to Shiro’s right. It was Rebecca, the person who supposed to be taking Shiro home.

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? He texted me and said he needed a ride, what the hell.”

“Well… I dunno why he would do that.. I’ve been sitting next to him the entire time.” Rebecca raised her brow and brought her soda straw up to her mouth, her eye contact shifting between Matt and Shiro. “Free soft drinks and half priced apps for designated drivers you know.” As much as Matt did not mind Shiro’s new friends from the soccer team, he was in no mood for conversation. He glared at Shiro in the dim lighting of the bar. If steam could have been seeping from his ears, it would have been.

“Why would you tell me you needed a ride, WHEN your didn’t! I have to work tomorrow! I don’t have time to be babysitting your drunk ass.” Shiro frowned at Matt’s words, making empty grasps at his hands.

“I just wanted you to come hang out with meee.” His pouting face normally held no effect in swaying Matt’s decisions, but now when Shiro made it Matt was deciding whether or not to clock the fool sitting in the chair in front of him.

“Okay… you know what,” Matt laughed in an angry, breathless way. “I’m just gonna take drunky here home, so I feel like maybe this wasn’t a complete waste of my time.” He smiled stiffly and pulled at Shiro’s wrist, encouraging him to get out of the chair.

“Aww, just one more?”

“One more and you’re not gonna be able to walk noodle legs, and I can’t carry you.” Matt growled under his breath while he tried to get the attention of the bartender. Apparently Shiro had been paying as he was drinking and did not have a tab, Matt’s first bit of relief since his ‘operation rescue drunk boyfriend started.’ Matt made sure to say goodbye to Shiro’s teammates, leaving his accusations of who let Shiro drink this much for another time before taking Shiro outside and stuffing him into the passenger seat of his car.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Matt’s voice was uncharacteristically harsh. Shiro tried to catch a kiss on Matt’s face while he was turning to look behind him while backing out of his parking spot. Matt only shot him an intense glare, sending Shiro sinking back into his seat.

“I told you..” Shiro whined “I just wanted you to come hang out with me.” He tried to curl his long legs up into his chest in the small seat of Matt’s car. Matt sighed deeply, catching Shiro’s hurt expression.

“God.. you’re a whiny drunk..” He exhaled once more, trying to calm himself down. Being angry at this point would have little effect considering Shiro’s unretentive state.

“MmmHmm, my belly’s full of fireball.” Shiro lifted his shirt and rubbed his hands all over his stomach. He then reached out and began to try to play with Matt’s radio.

“You’re going to be the death of me..” Matt slapped his hand gently and directed him to go curl his face into the corner by the window.

They arrived not much later at Shiro’s apartment and Matt spent a good minute feeling up the wall before he could find the light switch. Shiro had already ventured into his dark home, dragging his feet and giggling to himself as he went along.

“Okay, so I’m gonna lay on this couch for like 15 minutes, and you’re gonna take a shower and then get into bed in that period of time, or you’re on your own and I won’t be here in case you puke or fall.” Matt flopped himself onto Shiro’s couch, his tone still convey the immense amount of frustration he was feeling. Shiro slid over to the couch and took next to Matt.

“Hey good lookin, you come here often?” He struggled to wink at his fuming boyfriend.

“Please go take a shower, you smell like my aunt’s liquor cabinet.”

“If you give me a kiss.”

“Takashi..”

“Matthew…..” Shiro narrowed his eyes, smirking like a fool.

“Fine…” Matt did not think he could sigh any more deeply. “If I give you a kiss will you go take a shower and go to sleep.” Shiro nodded, his bangs flopping about.

Matt rolled his eyes and leaned over, kissing Shiro gently on the lips. He had then intended to break away, but Shiro’s arm was around his waist, gently pulling him closer. His breath smelled a bit like hard liquor and he was warmer than usual, the fireball in his gut living up to his name, but he was gentle, his hands gracing softly against Matt’s waist and back. What could kissing his own boyfriend on the couch hurt.

Matt hummed in a pleased tone, pressing back with slight force into Shiro’s movement, his lips moving from Matt’s lips to his jaw, to his neck. Matt giggled, feeling himself fall so his back was pressed into his couch. Shiro moving quickly so that he was straddling Matt, their weight pressing together on the couch as Shiro leaned forward, his hands fluffling up Matt’s sandy red hair. Matt let his hands crawl up under Shiro’s shirt, pressing against his abs, a smile on his face in between their kisses. When Shiro’s hands began to travel downwards, Matt felt a tug at his waist band. His eyes widened and he used his palms to shove at Shiro’s shoulders sending him back up into a sitting position.

“HEY, Handsy, no no no. Not happening.” Matt scolded. He used his knuckles and pressed them into Shiro’s midsection, trying to get him off of him. “Come on man, you’re hurting my legs and I gotta go home.” Shiro exhaled loudly and obnoxiously seemingly in disappointment that their steamy makeout session ended. He let his body literal fall off of the couch with a loud thud and drug himself up and sat on his legs on the floor, smiling his goofy smile at Matt.

“What..” Matt crossed his arms, still laying on his back on the couch.

“Nothing, I just love you.” Shiro said with a small slur in his voice. Matt blinked, almost as if he misheard. He definitely did not mishear. But it was innocent, surely, Shiro was drunk, he was on about all sorts of silly things while they were in the car. He pretended like he did not hear it.

“Go, shower, now, please. Also I’m talking to your buddies. Who the hell let you consume that much alcohol.” Matt pointed towards the bathroom. Shiro attempted to do a backwards roll, but ended up on his side instead. He laughed, and giggled and snorted, eventually gaining enough self awareness to drag himself up from the floor to the bathroom.

Matt sat himself up on the couch, fixing his disheveled shirt and hair. He stared blankly at the wall, the sound of Shiro humming and singing something in portuguese passing through the bathroom door and quietly into the living room. He could not help but let his thoughts dwell on Shiro’s words. Did he really mean it, or was he just spewing drunken words and silliness.

More important, Matt reasoned to himself, in the case that Shiro’s feeling were serious and only now let out in his alcohol induced state, did he love him back. They had been together for nearly six months. That was not too quick? To know if he loved Shiro, to know if he was in love. An important difference that some people did not consider. To love someone and to be in love.

But as Matt sat there, hearing a small bang and a subsequent “I’M Cool, I’m okay. I only slipped a little.” followed by another outburst of laughter and lyrics, he felt a smile creeping upon his face. He thought about the damned fool in the shower. The boy who was a little weird, whom he first kissed under the stars, whom he may be traveling with to them in less than a year, whom he shared warmth and thoughts with. Despite the stupidity of the evening, He loved him. Matt figured, curling his toes in his shoes. He was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos or comments so I know if you guys are liking how it's going! More pre-kerberos to come and I'll be writing paladin time stuff too! Thanks so much for all the support Im so glad people are enjoying this! Remember if you want to keep up with my writing or ask questions, you can contact me at my tumblr mattmurdockofficial


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